Summer
by Gabriela Romero
Summary: Mimi and Tai venture into an adult situation and are unable to cope with the emotional repercussions that follow. It's summer and love's in the air; love and complications. Michi. Slight Sorato. Reviews please! COMPLETE.
1. Sweet 'N Salty

Author's Note: Michi story (Mimi x Taichi), they're all around 16/15 years old, and summer's just starting. Uploading it mostly because I'm itching to know what readers will think! Review if you want to read more, or if you want to hate on me, or if you just want to say Hi! If people like it, I will make more :).

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_**Sweet 'N Salty**_

A tick, and a tock… a tick, and a tock. The pattern repeated over and over until the brown haired teenager noticed the passing of time. "Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock," he worded while giving his body a lazy shift of position. Tai Kamiya lay on the maroon couch poised in his living room; distraught, defeated. He tried to look at the clock that hung on the wall opposite from him, but struggled and finally decided to just sit up. "3:47," Tai said with a long sigh; it was probably steaming hot outside, the sun at its highest point. He then slumped back to his couch. Once relaxed, the teen tried his hardest to shun the memories that flooded back, as if they were begging for his attention; a lithe body pressed against his… heaving breathing… a yearning for release… dread for the consequences that would follow—with a slap to his forehead Tai stopped himself. He knew sulking about what had happened was not about to change anything, in fact, it might make things worse if he just _sat and waited_.

He grabbed his wireless house phone and half-mindedly searched for a specific number in the address book. _Mimi Tachikawa_, his thumb lingered on the green _Call_ button, but after one last thought he refrained himself and scrolled up to the number above, _Matt Ishida._ Without the slightest hesitation Tai pressed the _Call_ button and put the phone up to his ear, waiting for the dial and for his childhood friend to pick up. He heard someone picking up and sucked air in instinctively, not yet sure if he was ready to open up.

"Yeah?"

Tai recognized T.K.'s voice and answered, "Hey T.K., it's Tai. Is Matt there?"

"Oh hey Tai—bitch! I saw that! That was my campaign, quit cheating you two!" The boy on the other side of the receiver exclaimed loudly; Tai could hear loud laughing and shooting in the background. "Oh sorry 'bout that, Davis came over and we're playing on the Xbox and them two think they can cheat just cause I'm on the phone." T.K. accentuated the last phrase, to insinuate that they were still cheating regardless of his previous outburst.

"Can I speak to Matt?" Had Tai not been so frustrated he would have envied them and want to join in, but right now he felt anything but social.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on." He waited for a while and let out a relieved sigh when he heard his best friend's voice on the other side of the receiver.

"Tai?"

"Hi Matt," the brunette paused, as if wanting to postpone the situation.

"Yeah what do you want?" Matt asked bluntly.

An incredulous smile graced his lips at Matt's response and he just replied, "Uh, I wanna talk to you. Let's meet at Sweet 'N Salty?" Tai mentioned their usual hangout place—coffee, desserts, and sandwiches; what more could they possibly need?

He heard Matt yawn, "Well can't you tell me now? Davis needs to get his ass kicked in this game, which by the way you should totally check out—"

"No! I need to tell you in person, it's important…"

"Alright alright, I'll be there in fifteen." There was a pause, and both teens hung up without even bothering to say bye, as usual.

Tai Kamiya rose to his feet and ran to his bedroom. He quickly changed clothes and departed towards the urban café. Just as he had predicted, the day felt anything but pleasant. Don't get him wrong, he loved sunny weather, but the hot summer temperature did not make him feel compelled to go out to a friendly soccer match, to hang out with his friends, or to even have to walk all the way to Sweet 'N Salty. Tai scratched his unruly mane as he waited by the bus stop, being torn between feeling eager to arrive to his destination—for the teen already felt his tanned face being burned even more by the sun—and feeling hesitant to talk to his best friend. He mentally called himself a chicken and decided to simply go on with his life.

The two teenagers met and greeted a few stores away from the café, but decided to leave the "good stuff" for later when they would be enjoying a cold frappuccino in the air-conditioned atmosphere. Tai was surprised to see one of Matt's classmates, Joshua Enna, tagging along, but did not say much of it, since he was a quiet boy whose presence Tai did not mind. Once they approached the shop Tai recognized two familiar faces sitting outside; as if they were unaffected by the hot sun, Mimi Tachikawa and Sora Takenouchi sat on one of the many tables outside, wearing big sunglasses and sipping on cold tea. Before he could stop his best friend, the blond reached towards the two girls and gave Sora a quick peck on the lips—for they had recently started a relationship—and Mimi a warm Hi and a hug. With a sigh Tai followed after him and just offered them an awkward Hello.

"You guys are here!" Sora seemed surprised; Mimi just looked away and played with her keychain.

"Yeah but we're not crazy like you so we'll just sit inside like normal people." Matt waved them off and entered the coffee shop; Tai was eager to follow. They placed their order, bought their drinks, and settled on one of the empty tables. After a while, noting that Tai was not about to start the conversation, Matt said, "Ok this better be good. I gave all my ammunition to T.K. so he could beat the little bastard; who knew Davis would be so good at shooting games…"

The brunette laughed awkwardly and finally decided to speak, "It's weird. I don't know how to say it…" He looked away.

"Tai. Really. Stop acting gay. I mean it," said Matt with half a laugh.

The teen smiled, leaned forward, and spoke softly, "I had sex with Mimi." There. He'd say it. He went and screwed up and had sex with his other best friend; the best friend who now probably hated him and wanted nothing to do with him.

Had Tai not been so distraught he would have laughed at the choking Matt that struggled with his drink in front of him. "What?" The blond exclaimed.

"Don't be so loud, damn it!"

"Really?" The teen ignored Tai's pleads to be quiet, "but you guys weren't even together! _Were_ you together? I didn't even know you liked her!"

Was he kidding him? He _loved_ her. Of course, no one but himself knew that. And now he made the stupidest mistake. Way to work on a relationship… "No, we never dated, Matt." Tai admitted quietly.

"When did that happen?" Matt was still awestruck.

"Uh… during Izzy's party two days ago." Tai could still remember it like it was yesterday, because indeed it was just two nights ago. Izzy had hosted his birthday party in his beach house last Friday, to which all the Digidestined and a handful of his school friends attended. Tai went with Mimi, Matt, and Sora as a group, and naturally, since they were dating, Matt and Sora parted, leaving Mimi to hang around with him. Their flirting was just a spur of the moment, and it unexpectedly led to something greater. They drifted to a small, quiet lounge on the second floor of the beach house, and sparks flew and things happened. Tai knew he would regret what he was doing, but his utter affection towards his best friend prevented him from stopping, and she was welcoming his caresses so very much…

Matt's loud sigh snapped him back from his reverie and he felt himself blush at his memories. "But how? And why? Were you guys drunk? I don't recall Izzy having alcohol…"

Tai's eyes trailed to Joshua and he was thankful that the teen was more interested in his text messages than in the current conversation. "Matt, it just happened, Ok? We were talking and stuff and we kissed and we made out and the next thing I know our clothes are all over the place…" _And the ocean breeze flowing from the opened window felt so refreshing against my bare flesh, and Mimi looked so calm and open and beautiful, and I wanted her to stay there, like a porcelain doll under my mercy,_ he wanted to say, but stopped himself before he sounded anymore like a fag than he already did.

"It feels awkward, huh? Have you guys talked ever since?" His best friend seemed more sympathetic now.

The brown haired teen shrugged before replying, "The next morning she wasn't there anymore. I dressed and went downstairs and one of Izzy's friends gave me a ride back to town." Almost everyone spent the night in the beach house. Tai was amused that he had to watch his footing, or he might had stepped on a sleeping guest. He searched everywhere for Mimi, but apparently she had left with Sora that same night; with a sunken feeling he realized that he had not even heard her leave. "I was too scared to call her, but I sent her a text message the next morning. She didn't reply. That's why I'm worried."

"Damn," Matt choked a laugh.

"What am I supposed to do now? What do you do after you have sex with your best friend?"

"You tell me; I have no experience on that subject," his blond friend admitted with a helpless shrug. Matt noticed his gaze past the café's tall windows, upon Mimi, and suggested, "Just don't be a coward and go talk to her. Ask her how she feels about it. There, you can start from that."

Tai took a sip from his frappuccino and shook his head. "You don't get it Matt. It's like I can't look at her in the eyes anymore, like I took advantage of her or something like that…"

"Did you? Did you take advantage of her?" Matt's question lingered a little longer than he would have preferred.

"I don't know." Again, his heart sank. That was exactly what kept him up last night. He did not know if he had taken advantage of her in her moment of weakness. And if he did, he didn't know if he would be able to live with himself because of it. Mimi and Tai used to share absolute respect and trust for each other, but he felt as if the crystal glass that was their trust had suddenly been smashed against the floor, shattering to hundreds of pieces; almost impossible to mend. He pondered for a couple of seconds, and was half frustrated and half relieved when the two girls stood to leave. Sora walked in, while Mimi stood outside next to the door, he then realized just how awkward she must have been feeling all this time as well.

Matt left his chair to give Sora a quick hug. "We're going to see Yolei at the creamery, and then I have work," she explained. The boys waved their goodbyes and watched her depart with Mimi.

"Does anyone else know?" Matt asked after a while.

The brown haired teen shrugged and replied helplessly, "Maybe Sora, or I don't know, whoever Mimi talked to. I haven't told anyone else." The boy looked down, beating himself up for complicating—what he used to call—his perfect life. "I guess I should phone her tonight. I mean I can't avoid her forever, right?" Matt nodded. "And the sooner I do it the better it'll be for everyone."

"And who knows, maybe she's not as upset as you about it," Matt added encouragingly, but somehow Tai knew that that was not the case.

Tai glanced at his wrist watch and almost choked on his frappuccino at the realization that he was going to be late for work. "Dude I have to go," said Tai while he stepped away from his chair.

"What? Why?" Asked Matt flabbergasted; Tai hadn't even finished his drink.

"I'm working at the pool now, as a lifeguard. I have to be there until eight tonight," Tai grinned at the look Matt was giving him.

"A lifeguard at the pool? But school isn't even out yet!" Matt rose from his seat as well.

Tai waved Joshua goodbye, who was still busily texting. "Yeah but the pools are open anyways. I'll see you tomorrow at school, Matt. Thanks for everything." The teen exclaimed before walking out of the coffee shop. Behind him, he heard Matt say, "remember to call her!" Tai stepped out of the establishment with a grim feeling; summer had just started, and he could already tell how much it would suck for him.

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**_Digimon, and it's characters, do not belong to me. This was made for leisure and nonprofit purposes only._**


	2. Saturday

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! I swear they made me want to sit down in front of the computer and write more :3. This chapter is not in the present, but in the past! Enjoy and review!  
P.S. I don't speak French! T_T I wish I did though!

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_**Saturday**_

Mimi Takchikawa woke with a start. Her senses quickly engulfed the setting and the disposition she was in, and her heart fluttered as she realized that _it had not been a dream_. The brunette smiled tiredly at the sloppy boy that slept on her bosom. She felt amazed at herself and at the same time an awkward feeling crept to her very spine; she had made love to Tai Kamiya—_the_ Tai Kamiya, the sympathetic leader in the Digital World and her charismatic best friend. Throughout the last past hours Mimi spent every breath and every effort on the kissing and the thrusting and the moaning, and she immediately felt afraid of what his reaction would be. She did not want to hear him say that it was a mistake, that it was a spur of the moment and that he was sorry for getting her hopes up.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft buzzing not too far from her. She extended her arm and reached around the pile of her clothes; her fingers made contact with cold metal and she was able to grasp her vibrating cell phone. Mimi brought the wireless device closer to her eyes and realized she had received a text message from Sora. _Where are you? Meet me in the living room if you want to leave now_. Mimi Takchikawa was showered with relief; Sora, without realizing it, had saved her life. The girl fixed her loving gaze on the boy's oblivious, sleeping face; how very peaceful he looked when he slept. Slowly and carefully she squirmed out of his embrace, afraid that she might wake him. The inevitable confrontation would have to be postponed, for Mimi's sake.

Goosebumps formed around her uncovered arms as a morning chill crept from the opened window. Her eyes watered in pity at herself while she searched for her clothes; never before did she imagine herself in such a disposition and she was not sure exactly what to feel—what to expect. Once dressed, she checked her watch and was surprised at the 3:52 AM it displayed. Mimi gave Tai one last, secret glance before hopping down the stairs.

Izzy's fifteenth birthday party at his beach house went exactly as planned; a lot more people than what had been expected showed up, nobody left early, and some, much like Mimi and Tai, even found a place to settle and sleep for the night. She leaped around two girls that were cuddled on the floor next to the couch and approached Sora, who was sitting on an overly crowded couch. Mimi tapped her shoulder from behind, startling the red head. "Mimi!" Sora jumped from her sitting place, waking the boy that slept next to her. "Where were you? You and Tai just suddenly disappeared—I texted you several times."

"Uh sorry, we went out and took a walk on the beach. I left the phone upstairs—I—I fell asleep," Mimi lied.

Sora eyed her with slight suspicion, but finally said, "My faggot stepdad is on his way here. Maybe you wanted a ride back to town." Mimi smiled sadly and couldn't stop herself from bringing her friend closer to her and giving her a helpless embrace. "Meems? What's wrong?"

The girl let out a dry sob, and quickly transformed her sobs to an awkward laugh. "Nothing, silly," she replied with another lie. Mimi was not yet sure if she wanted to tell Sora; not now, not yet.

They saw Izzy approach the living room with a spacious, black trash bag. "Oh hey guys," he breathed after spotting them. "You guys enjoyed the party?" He asked while he stuffed the bag with empty pizza boxes.

"Aw, you want some help cleaning up, Izzy?" Sora approached the boy and gladly offered her help. Mimi, too, crouched and picked up the empty soda cans that were spread all over the floor.

"Uh thanks. My parents said they want the house clean and empty by noon," Izzy scratched his messy hair and turned off the soft tune emitting from his sound system. "This was probably my best birthday ever," the boy admitted with a sheepish smile.

"That's awesome—" Sora was interrupting by a loud honking coming from outside the house. She rolled her eyes and motioned at Mimi while she explained, "That's probably our ride. Let's go Meems."

The brunette nodded. "Bye Izzy, good luck cleaning! We'll see you later," The two girls waved their goodbyes and hastily exited the beach house. The cold temperature outside caught them by surprise so they rushed towards Sora's stepdad's truck and didn't hesitate to jump inside. "Satoshi you didn't have to drive all the way here so late," Sora told him feebly, "I could have spent the night." It was ironic how the girl got along better with her stepdad than with her own mother, although that is not to insinuate that he was exactly _nice_ to her.

"You conceited, little girl! You think I'm doing you a favor? I was in a bar close by and just decided to pick you up before your bitch mother throws a tantrum," the middle aged man slurred his words and waved a hand in the air, all with an apparent lack of coordination. Mimi held on tight to her seat belt as the car swerved out of its lane, then went back to it—thankfully for the three of them, the streets were empty.

"You're drunk," Sora stated with a glare.

"No shit, I said 'bar' didn't I? What, did you think I was drinking orange juice?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Sora boldly took hold of the steering wheel and commanded, "Pull over."

The man didn't object any further and simply complied with her request. The truck came to a stop by the road side and the two of them stepped out of the car. They switched seats and Sora took the wheel; one thing Sora was good at was driving her drunken stepdad whenever he got himself in similar dispositions. They rode in silence for a couple minutes, but it wasn't long before Sora began chatting casually about the night. "The day—er, night, went by too quickly for me, don't you think so?" She didn't take heed of Mimi's silence. "Well at least school's ending in a week. It's just finals now…"

"Yeah."

"Did you see Megumi? From Biology?"

"Oh… I—no," Mimi stammered and blushed; she was relieved that Sora's attention was on the road, and not on the crimson in her face. Truth was that she barely paid any attention to anybody besides Tai throughout the night.

"I was surprised to see her so light up, I mean she was just recovering from heartbreak," Sora's words were warm, in a motherly way.

"Really?" Mimi asked absentmindedly, for she really did not care.

"Yeah! Apparently she had _relations_ with this guy she really liked, but it turns out that to him it was more of a one-night stand."

Then, Mimi's heart sank. She tried to push out of her the negative, grim feeling that told her that she was now in a similar situation. Would Sora feel pity for her as well? When everyone finds out?

"Mimi what's wrong? You've been so quiet, seriously…" Sora finally turned to look at her for a split second. "You know you can tell me anything. And Satoshi here is asleep already," she, then, grinned.

"It's nothing, really. I'm just tired," and thus she told her third lie to her friend, Sora.

~i~

Later that night Mimi sat alone in her room, fumbling with her computer. Her brown eyes looked up at her monitor horrified, for she had made it a personal mission to research about unprotected sex on the internet. According to this website she could have syphilis and be pregnant with triplets at this very moment for all she knew._ Syphilis_? But Mimi was smart enough to push the thought aside. Although the sound of having three kids at the young age of fifteen did sound horrifying enough. She clicked her way through parenting tips, adopting agencies, pregnancy tests, and male teenage parenting behavior. Of course, everything sounded downright appalling. She even considered writing down the telephone number of several teenage pregnancy counseling hotlines, but if she really wanted advice she would probably talk to Sora, or, even, her mom.

Mimi Takchikawa then felt her stomach do a double back flip. What would her mother say? What would her peers say? She knew that friends turning away from girls with unwanted pregnancies wasn't unheard of; was this about to happen to her? The thought itself made her sick. The buzzing of her cellular phone made her jump in her seat. She hesitated before grabbing the phone, then looked at the bright screen to see Tai's second text message of the day. Again, it said, _Hi Mimi_. Her exasperation made her roll her eyes, _what an original way to start a conversation with the future mother of your kid_! She shook the thought away; maybe it wasn't as much of a big deal as she was making it?

The brunette was pondering about what to respond when the opening of her door caught her attention. Her mom walked in, and behind her stood the last person she would ever expect to see in her room. "Mimi, your friend, Akira, is here to talk to you," Mimi's mom kindly let the boy in and left the room to allow them some privacy.

Akira Nakamura was an eccentric teenage boy that had recently transferred to Mimi's school. He sported flamboyant hair and had an indifferent air about him. He sat on the edge of her bed and gave her that snobby smile Mimi was much accustomed to. "Akira, you know where I live?" The girl couldn't be more surprised, since it was usual for her to seek him out but never the other way around, for he was the son of a much accomplished fashion designer, and to Mimi, a stepping stone in her modeling career.

"I have sources," he looked around her room with curiosity but eventually deviated his gaze to her expectant eyes. "And I have good news for you, my friend."

"What might those news be?" She flipped her phone close and turned her full attention to him, completely forgetting about her previous dilemma.

"A good friend of mine—he's into underground fashion—just recently told me that some of his peers will be hosting an underground fashion show close to Zepp Tokyo next Saturday night." Mimi stayed rooted to her seat, ears perked and listening to every word he said. "He asked me if I knew some people that might want to, you know, sport his outfits on the cat walk—because frankly, he knows I know people," Akira smirked haughtily, but Mimi didn't pay any heed; right now she felt like it was Christmas all over again. "I tried getting in contact with you last night?"

Mimi fumbled with her phone again, as if it were on fire, but her clumsiness made it drop to the carpet floor. "Oh! Um, I was at my friend Izzy's party," she offered him a hopeless look before picking the cell phone up.

"Yeah I heard about that one. How was it?"

"Fantastic!" She half lied; she'd say anything to stay on his good side, for he was a boy of fickle emotions.

"Right. Well I told him about you, that you want to model?"

"Yeah? And what did he say?" Mimi leaned forward to him, her hand tightly clutching her phone.

Akira enjoyed the moment of suspense before saying, "He said—" but he was cut off by the loud ringing of Mimi's cell phone. Both teens eyed the cellular device with disgust for a split second before he added, "Well aren't you going to answer that?"

Mimi gazed upon the caller ID, it was Tai, and all the memories of the previous night came flooding down to her. She gave herself a mental slap; now was not the time to think about their relationship. Akira was here and he was about to turn her into a model. She shook her head after silencing her cell phone. "It can wait," she smiled at the flamboyant boy in front of her.

"Oh. Well like I was about to say, he wants you on the show. He usually goes for Gothic Lolita outfits but he told me that for that night he's giving it more of an 'outer space' feel to it."

Mimi then squealed with delight.

"Sorry I told you with such a short notice—"

"No, no, that's fine!" The brunette quickly exclaimed in her euphoria.

Very rarely did Akira share somebody else's joy with them, and now Mimi could tell that the smile on his handsome face was genuine. "They're having rehearsals every night from eight to eleven PM, starting Monday and all the way to Friday. And on Saturday I know we'll be there all night long," The brown haired boy gave her a coy smile.

"Wow!" Mimi gasped to herself, "My very first fashion show…"

"All thanks to _Moi_," Akira added in his usual haughty manner.

"Oh my gosh yeah, thanks Aki." The girl stood from her seat and gave him a grateful hug.

"You are very welcome, and I know we'll find ways for you to repay me in the future," He said while hugging her back. "But for now let's focus on your modeling career," they pulled away and Akira gave her coy wink. "Maybe you can wear the clothes line I'm about to design." One thing Akira and Mimi had in common was fashion, and although he wanted to design it, and she wanted to wear it, they got along well enough—and that was saying something, for a character such as Akira.

"You want to go out for some Mexican food?" The older boy offered.

"Please." And after informing her mom of where she wanted to go, Mimi and Akira left the house; Akira's mind on the Chicken Fajitas he wanted to order and Mimi completely forgetting about Tai's missed call.

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**_Digimon, and it's characters, do not belong to me. This was made for leisure and nonprofit purposes only._**


	3. Gossip in the Hallways

Author's Note: We're now back to Sunday... and I realized I'm not giving Mimi as much emotion as I'm giving Tai, so most readers are probably on Tai's side... lol. Don't hate Mimi, she's equally affected by the situation. By the way, I know that in Japan teens aren't supposed to be driving at the age of 16... but let's just pretend they can. Chapters might come later than expected now, since I'm about to start college. You know the drill... Enjoy and Review!

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**_Gossip in the Hallways_**

One of the great advantages of having Yolei Inoue as a friend was that her mother owned a creamery, and every once in a while, if they visited the girl while she was helping out with the family business, Mimi and Sora could get away with a few helpings of free ice cream. Today was no different; the two girls spent the rest of the afternoon lounging at the Inoue Creamery while they chatted with Yolei. For the girls, it was 'gossip time,' and yet Mimi could not bring herself to telling Sora, her faithful and loving friend, about her secret. Sora, always being observant, noticed that her careless friend was acting even more hair-headed than usual, but she decided against pressing the matter.

After a few hugs and goodbyes—and a few more sampling spoonfuls of Coconut Delight and Orange Crème—Mimi and Sora departed back to their homes, both now worried about studying for the upcoming final exams.

"I noticed Tai acting quite… out of character for him, today," Sora casually commented while on the bus on the way home.

"Oh really?" The brunette tried to sound equally casual, but she knew exactly why Tai wasn't being himself. "Maybe it's the finals, he always panics before the exams," Mimi giggled.

Sora then dismissed her worries, "Yeah you're right—Oh Meems here's my stop. I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"Yeah!" And the girls waved goodbye.

Now that she was alone, Mimi began pondering about what was to happen. She needed to talk to Tai—no; she _wanted_ to talk to him. Mimi Takchikawa had to admit the fact that she missed talking to her best friend, Tai Kamiya. And everything was her fault! She shouldn't have given in to his kisses, but she was too weak inside; she liked him too much to deny the attention that was being given to her. So, she decided, she had to end the drama that she started—tonight she would talk to Tai.

The brunette walked out of the bus after reaching her stop. She quickly made her way back to her apartment, and when she entered she was welcomed by the sweet smell of caramelized sugar and the bitter smell of something else burning…

She hopped to the kitchen and greeted her mom with a kiss on the cheek. "Hi mum," the brunette placed her bag on the kitchen counter and eyed the contents of the older woman's pan. "What are you making?"

"Oh Mimi… tomorrow the book club is having a meeting, and I offered to bring food this time," Her mother grimaced and Mimi could barely control her sniggers; Mimi knew her mother wasn't exactly _a Chef_ when it came to cooking. "I'm making a Crème Brûlée… well trying to."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Then she remembered about the fashion show and didn't hesitate before asking her mom for permission, for she knew her mother would be delighted. "Oh mum you're not gonna guess what happened!"

"Hm?"

"Well you know Akira, the guy who came last night, he's really into fashion, and some of his friends are going to have a fashion show next Saturday. He came to ask me if I wanted to walk on the runway," Mimi smiled at the look on her mom's face.

"Like an actual fashion show?" Her mom looked at her with the same big, brown eyes Mimi had.

"Yup! Can I?"

"Well alright," her mom smiled at her but her smiling face turned to a sneer at the bubbly, creamy substances that were overflowing from her cooking pot.

"And I have to rehearse everyday this week from eight to eleven at night," now this part Mimi said in an undertone, but her mother heard her clearly.

"So late! Where at?"

"Somewhere close to Zepp Tokyo?" Mimi grimaced at her mother's expression.

Now that the kitchen had settled down her mom calmed a little as well, "I don't know if it's safe, so late at night…"

"Mum!"

"Alright, but take Tai with you." Such was her mother's usual response; if she was uncertain of anything Mimi wanted to do, she'd always say "Take Tai." Mimi soon figured that to her mom, Tai was more of a brotherly, protective figure.

That still made her grimace even more. "Can I take Matt?" The teen pleaded.

"Matt—Tai, what difference does it make?" Mimi nearly jumped on her seat at her mother's words. She grabbed her bag excitedly and began walking to her room. "They're like twins aren't they?"

"They are not…"

"Sure they are! They hang out all the time, same bushy hair…" Her mom chuckled to herself.

"Oh mum."

~i~

With a final, disgruntled grunt, Tai Kamiya shoved the door to the storage closet closed. For the past fifteen minutes the brown haired teenager had spent every bit of his energy on trying to put back the pool cleaning utensils into the storage room. But much to his dislike, the storage room just happened to be a bit _too_ crowded. It was eight o' clock; he knew that for a fact, for it was then that his shift ended. Tai quickly made his way to the locker rooms and threw a t-shirt on before locking the doors and leaving the communal pool. He was exhausted, that was for sure. The teen instinctively checked his cell phone for any missed calls; he had a text message from Matt: _Get a seizure while listening to inappropriate music! _And below was the link of a website. Tai just chuckled to himself.

He didn't have to wait at the bus stop for too long, and Tai wasn't surprised to see the bus empty. He waited in silence for the stop closest to his house. Throughout the afternoon Tai had been so bored that there was nothing to take his mind off Mimi. Nobody drowned, or got closed to drowning as a matter of fact, so he just sat in his lifeguard seat, bored and annoyed, his mind replaying the events on Friday night over and over again. He wondered if it was normal to feel so distraught after experiencing such an intimate situation with his best friend, but his thoughts were interrupted as he almost missed his stop. Tai rushed out of the bus, almost tripping in the process, and quickly walked through the parking lot of his apartment complex. While he walked he tried to assume the flow of his and Mimi's future conversation over the phone; should he say sorry? Would she ask him what he was sorry for? Or if he didn't say sorry, would she still expect him to do so? Should he sound casual, aloof? With a sigh, Tai stopped himself before his head began to hurt…

The sixteen-year-old unlocked the door to his apartment and half mindedly stepped in. Much to his surprise, his brown haired sister, Kari, stood a few steps ahead of him, with a friendly smile on her lips, as if she had been waiting for him. "Tai's home!" The girl announced as she approached him. "Guess what, you," the girl poked his shoulder in a playful manner.

Tai just stared at his sister in confusion.

"What's the matter? Cat's got your tongue?" Her younger sister asked while she swayed from one leg to another.

"Well hi—you're just being weird. Excuse me," Tai closed the front door and walked past his sister, but was also stopped by his smiling dad. "Oh hey, dad."

"Tai! Finally you're home! Come with me," His much taller dad put an arm around his son's shoulder, "There's something you gotta see, son." Tai walked with him obediently, mostly because he was curious of what was going on around his house, and with Kari tagging a long, the three of them walked out of their apartment and towards the elevator. The teen tried asking, with little success, to find out exactly what was on his dad's mind, but eventually gave up and just settled on following them towards the parking lot. "Since you started to work—and you just recently got your driving license—your mom and I decided that it was time you gained a little more responsibilities, and well, this will be a great asset for you this summer," said his dad while he smiled down at him.

"What are—" Tai began asking but was interrupted by his sister, who rushed towards a worn out, cherry red, two-door car that was parked not too far from them.

"Daddy got you a car, Tai!" She finally exclaimed as if the car was being given to her instead of him.

"Shut up!" Tai exclaimed excitedly as he approached the car as well. "Shut up! Are you serious?" The boy looked up at his dad, unable to believe his good luck.

His father waved a small keychain from side to side, Tai's surprised eyes were fixed on it. The older man tossed the keys at his son, who caught them and didn't hesitate before opening the car. "Wicked…"

"Take us for a ride, Tai!" Kari's warm words echoed throughout the silent parking lot. Naturally, the teen did not need further encouragement, and although it was rather uncomfortable fitting his sister and his dad inside his small, two-door car, they managed just fine and within minutes Tai was speeding hither and thither around the empty Odaiba streets.

The teen was having so much fun that he lost track of time, and it was well past nine at night when his father finally told him to head back for a late-night dinner. Tai Kamiya ate dinner, stepped in the shower to relieve himself of the day's sweat, and finally entered the privacy of his bedroom at long last. With a sigh, the brown haired boy rested his head upon his pillow, and for the first time in hours his thoughts trailed back to the day's events. His beautiful chocolate eyes rolled up to the ceiling as he remembered Mimi Takchikawa; the source of his woes. Was it too late to call her now? Probably. He searched around his bed for his cell phone, and his heart sank when he realized he had two missed calls from said girl.

It was too late to call her back now; she could very easily be asleep. But he couldn't give up just like that, so just to make sure, he sent her a quick text message.

_Hey Mimi, sorry I didn't answer, I was out. My dad bought me a car!_

Tai sighed and fingered his cell phone for a little while. His heart began to pound hard against his chest when he heard the quiet, beeping sound of a reply.

_Oh wow, congrats Tai :)_

The boy just eyed his phone incredulously; he was not expecting such a simple answer from her at all—she wasn't getting to the point, she wanted _him_ to bring up the topic. Tai thought for a long while exactly how to respond, his eyes now getting tired with sleep, and after a couple minutes just resolved to answer with what he had been trying to do for the past day.

_Is it OK if I call you?_

He had to wait for her to allow him to make the phone call; maybe she, too, was not ready for the inevitable conversation just yet. He just hoped that tonight he would finally be given the opportunity to word his feelings towards her. While he waited for her reply the beating of his heart finally relaxed; things like the sound of his AC and the ticking of his clock didn't bother him anymore, he felt at peace. Subconsciously, his eyes began to drop, and his exhaustion prevented him from fighting against the sleep that was slowly pulling him away from consciousness. It wasn't long before his breathing changed and he finally found himself in his dreams. Beside him, a meek beeping emitted from his cell phone in the feeble attempt to grasp his attention.

_Yes._

But it was too late.

~i~

Monday mornings were usually filled with the casual buzz of people coming and going in the city of Odaiba. The streets were, as usual, filled with cars, buses, and pedestrians, for everyone was, once again, starting their week from scratch, and continuing on with their everyday lives. Like many other Monday mornings, Mimi Takchikawa was part of said buzz; not unlike others, she waited on the bus stop for the bus that took her to the Odaiba Preparatory School, where, along with her peers, she received the necessary education for a more successful future. Her school was also the center of her social life, and much to her advantage, today she hoped that she would be finally able to talk to Tai Kamiya, whom, because of a series of misfortunate timing, she had been unable to get in contact with since that fateful night at Izzy's beach house.

The brunette stepped into the communal hall of her school, where the majority of students met to exchange the past weekend's gossip before heading to class, and her brown eyes eagerly searched the room for her peers. She spotted a couple of girls from her homeroom class and was about to approach them when the bell rang, so without further ado, she resolved to head to her first class.

While she walked around the hallways she couldn't help but notice a few stares here and there from people she rarely talked to. She pushed the thought aside, now was not the time to worry about high school drama. As she approached her first class though, she ran into Mai Liyong, a short girl who Mimi had been very well acquainted with, but was surprised at the disappointed look on her face when she spotted Mimi.

"Mimi Takchikawa, I can't believe you," her voice was soft and feeble, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear their conversation.

Mimi gave her that what-are-you-talking-about look.

"I thought we were friends."

But before Mimi could ask what was on her mind their teacher walked out of the classroom and began rushing them inside, to finally begin the class. The brunette exchange a couple of paper notes with Mai but apparently everyone in the school knew a well kept secret that only Mimi did not know any details about. Or rather—everyone expected her to know exactly what was happening, so nobody even thought of telling her what she had been involved with.

It was later that day, during lunch break, that Mimi finally found out what all the gossip was about. Since Mimi and Izzy were both a year younger than Sora, Tai, and Matt, they only got to see the older teens during lunch break, or before and after school. And since the final exams were getting closer with everyday that passed—exams were scheduled to start tomorrow, Tuesday—Mimi and Izzy decidedly met their older peers in the library for a bit of quick studying. Today, though, it seemed that only Sora was present.

The red haired DigiDestined paced the library hall until she spotted Mimi and Izzy around one of the lounge tables. She then, very unceremoniously, dropped her books on top of their table, drawing the attention of several students around the area. Sora glared at Mimi before stating, "Mimi, why didn't you ever tell me! You know how crappy this makes me feel?"

Mimi, getting the hint that Sora also was very well aware of that very piece of information nearly everyone in the school knew about, snapped, "Oh-my-gosh." She clamped her hands over her face in exasperation before continuing, "If you could only tell me what I did, already!"

Izzy, sensing a possible argument between the friends, withdrew in his seat.

"What? What do you mean if I could only tell you? _You_ never told _me;_ I had to find out from shop-a-lot Aiko what's-her-face. You know, I thought we were supposed to tell each other everything. And I have to find out from like the nosiest girl in the school!" Sora said all in one breath.

"Find out what exactly?" The brunette was now getting upset at Sora in return.

The red head sighed before replying, "About Friday night."

Mimi had the fleeting idea of playing dumb for a while, but her heart sank as she began putting pieces together; Sora_ knew_, and she found out from the least expected source—Aiko Takahashi.

"About what happened between you and Tai."

* * *

**_Digimon, and it's characters, do not belong to me. This was made for leisure and nonprofit purposes only._**


	4. Cornered Thrice

Author's Note: I apologize for the really late update, that was over a month! I can't help it though, college is a lot of fun! I felt like this chapter isn't as great quality as the past three, but I guess that up for you to judge. I'm looking forward to y'alls reviews! So please review tons :). Enjoy!

* * *

**_Cornered Thrice_**

"About what happened between you and Tai."

It was then that Mimi felt the air being sucked out of her lungs. Her mind raced, and her honey-colored eyes watered; _she had not told anybody!_ This was supposed to be _personal_, between her and Tai Kamiya only. Why, then, did everyone in her class seemed to be so well informed? She lowered her gaze down to the table so that Sora wouldn't see the water pooling in her eyes. "I don't understand," was all that she was able to whisper for a while.

Sora, after sensing that she had hit tender territory, quieted down and waited for the brunette to continue speaking.

"Sora I didn't tell anyone!" She gave her friend a meaningful stare; if only someone could understand…

Their attention, though, was drawn to their quiet friend, Izzy, who stood from his chair and promptly said, "I forgot my textbook in my homeroom. I'll be back later." And without a glance he left the scene. Inwardly, both girls knew that he had not forgotten anything; he just wanted to allow them some privacy.

The older teen took Mimi's hands in hers, now giving Mimi the support she needed. "Then it must have been…" Sora stopped herself before the words left her mouth, and her wide-open eyes watched Mimi apprehensively.

_Then it must have been Tai_, Mimi thought to herself. All this time she had felt angsty about the incident, dreading Tai's reaction, while he had been, so very eagerly, publicizing the event. Was she supposed to be some sort of price to him, then? Mimi's head began to hurt. "I didn't tell anybody," she repeated. "I wasn't even ready to talk to Tai. I never imagined he would be this way." He was Tai, _her_ Tai. Or at least she had believed so. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to talk to him first."

Sora inched closer to her and asked in an almost whisper, "How do you feel about it? How do you feel about him?"

Mimi Takchikawa just shook her head. She then quickly realized that, that had been the reason why Mai Liyong had been so distraught. Mai once told Mimi about her feelings for Tai, and often hinted Mimi to try to help her get with him. But Mimi had liked Tai for a really long time as well; was she supposed to give up on her affection on Tai because of her friendship with Mai? Was she not allowed to love and want to feel loved? Right now, though, she felt heartbroken. "Heartbroken," she sighed, and allowed her pooled tears to freely flow. Sora stood from her spot on the chair opposite from Mimi and sat on the seat next to her. "It was just sex to him," whispered Mimi while she allowed Sora to embrace her.

"I'm sorry Meems. But there's gotta be an explanation! We both know Tai… and we know he would never purposely hurt any of us. Forget about the school; who cares about what they think or say?" Mimi let out a sarcastic chuckle in response—Sora was right, she should not care, but her current feeling of vulnerability conquered her usual confidence, so she felt weak and exposed. Her tears soon after subsided thanks to Sora's comforting embrace, and the teens spent the rest of their lunch break exchanging brief, reassuring words about Mimi's dilemma, but both agreed, unanimously, that Mimi _had_ to confront Tai.

~i~

With a last few scribbles Matt Ishida finished his timed essay. He let out a relieved sigh before walking up to his teacher and handing in his paper. Sure, Social Studies was among his favorite subjects, but writing essays for the class was a whole different story. Thankfully for him, and for the majority of his classmates, the school year had a mere four days left; _the_ most dreadful four days, let us not forget. He felt something vibrating in one of his pockets and he had to stop his reaching arm from grabbing his cellular phone—using cell phones during class was a highly punishable offense. Matt let out an inaudible growl, now he would be extremely curious of the text message that he had received.

As if answering for his prayers, the loud—and much expected—school bell began to ring. Almost in queue, every one of his classmates packed their notebooks and bags and departed the room, with Matt included as well. He hastily opened his phone and read a text message from his girlfriend, Sora. _Hi bb, meet me outside the locker rooms after class_. The blond could not stop the grin that graced his face; text messages like these usually meant that Sora wanted to spend time with him, _alone_. While he merrily walked through the hallways on his way to the locker rooms he imagined the possibilities—maybe they were going to make out? His heart skipped a beat and he turned a corner.

While he walked he realized that this side of the school was much emptier. He, for example, was the only person walking on the hallway. This made him smile; he and Sora would be alone, indeed. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the jingling of key chains not far from him. His curious, cerulean eyes turned to look behind him and he was highly surprised when he saw none other than Mimi Takchikawa walking—almost trotting—towards his direction. He quickly deviated his gaze and tried to disregard the determined expression on her face. Matt noticed he was nearing one of the school's computer labs, so he decided to step in; maybe she just happened to be walking in the same direction as him, she was not following him… right? A lump settled on his stomach as he remembered the gossip that had been going around the school, and a guilty feeling crept to his very spine; he knew it was his fault all along for bringing Joshua Enna to Sweet 'N Salty with him. Was she about to confront him, then?

His fears were confirmed when she also entered the computer lab a couple seconds later. Mimi walked towards him and he felt cornered at once. The teen watched her apprehensively as she approached him. "Matt Ishida," the brunette finally said.

"I swear I didn't do anything," Matt lied; he knew everything was his fault; he just didn't want to have to argue about it _now_.

The girl just eyed him. "You look awfully suspicious Matt. What exactly should you be guilty about?" Mimi just spoke her words with a smirk, which made Matt think that the situation wasn't as bad as he thought.

"Oh—um, nothing. I don't feel guilty at all," again, he lied.

"Well, I just… need a tiny favor," the brunette pouted and she looked at him. Matt generally did not like favors, but he felt in debt to the girl before him. "I really really need you to accompany me tonight to a club close to Zepp Tokyo."

"Wha—why?" The blond had to admit that she had taken him by surprise. He imagined anything but this, and he immediately felt suspicious of the request.

Mimi shifted her weight from one leg to the other and bit her lip as she contemplated her answer. "Matt—can you please—I'm going to be part of a fashion show next Saturday and I have to attend daily meetings this week."

Matt arched an eyebrow in bewilderment, "And you want me to come with you because…?" He was not trying to sound mean, but taking Mimi wherever she wanted to go tonight sounded highly inconvenient to him, especially with his finals looming dangerously close.

"Because my mom won't let me go unless I go with you…"

"Oh," Matt immediately recognized her predicament; he had known Mimi long enough to know her mother's rules. "Why don't you ask Tai then, he has a car and everything!" But his suggestion sounded ridiculous at once—he was positive things between Mimi and Tai were still patchy to some extent. The brown haired girl gave him an exasperated look that quickly made Matt finally make up his mind. "Alright Mimi Takchikawa, I'll go with you tonight."

A gracious smile graced her lips and she gave him a quick, delighted hug. "Sweet! Thanks Matt!"

Now that things had been cleared, Matt remembered the other pressing matter he had to address; Sora was probably already waiting for him in the locker rooms. "Err… Meems, I have to go though. Why don't you call me later and tell me the details of this fashion show," said Matt as he stealthily stepped closer to the door of the computer lab.

It was mission accomplished for Mimi, so she really did not care if Matt was in a haste to run away from her. "Oh sure! See ya later, Matt," she said with a smile as she watched him walk away.

~i~

As he neared the parking spot closest to the building's elevator, Tai's cherry red car came to a stop and he hastily stepped out. The teen took a deep breath before heading to the elevators; this was it, he was going to see Mimi in person. Hopefully she arrived home from school already, so he planned to surprise her and avoid the dilly dallying they had to go through last weekend. He not only wanted to talk to her about his feelings and what had happened Friday night, but he was also preoccupied about the current gossip that had been going around the school. Tai refused to allow himself to be angered by the situation at school; surely Mimi had not gone around boasting about their private moment.

Tai Kamiya stood in front of the door of her apartment. He knocked once, twice, thrice, and no one answered. The boy lingered in front of the door for several minutes, disbelief rushing through his very veins. She was not home yet. What should he do now? His chocolate eyes finally turned away from the door and turned to look at the tiled floor. Subconsciously, he began walking back to the elevator. He was too distraught to think, so he just allowed his mind to wander.

The teen was too distracted to notice the elevator doors opening, and within seconds he was nearly a couple feet apart from none other than Mimi Takchikawa. It seemed as if both teenagers gasped at the sight of each other. Tai, though, recovered first. "Mimi," he whispered in sheer surprise.

Her honey-colored eyes searched his face, and he was able to identify surprise, disappointment, and anger among the many emotions in her eyes. The girl inched closer and gave him what seemed like a very hesitant and very weak slap across his face. Tai recoiled in surprise and quickly exclaimed, "What the hell was that for?"

Mimi faltered, but her attitude returned and she responded, "How dare you pretend like you don't know! I can't believe you, Tai Kamiya! What are you doing here anyways?" She held her nose up high and walked past him, towards her door.

Tai quickly grabbed her hand to stop her before she could be out of reach. "Why are you so upset? I came here because I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh yeah? To talk about how you told everyone and their moms that we had sex?" Her irritation made her words feel like venom to his heart. "Let go," said the girl as she jerked her hand free.

Tai's confusion was now vividly showing on his facial expression. "Whoa Mimi, I didn't tell anyone. Besides why would I? It's nobody's business; this is between you and me…" The tone of his voice diminished with every word, for he wanted to sound reasonable; he understood her feelings towards the gossip.

Mimi breathed heavily to relieve herself of her irritation. Something within her strongly believed his words, but she decided that it was just her unwavering affection towards the boy in front of her that made her want to trust him."Well you came at the wrong time; I'm about to go to Izzy's house to study for the exams." Half of her was immensely glad that he had come, but another part of her was not in the mood to even confront her own feelings.

"Mimi…" The brown haired teen was just speechless at her nerve.

The girl closed her eyes and shook her head, as if it pained her to do so. "I'm sorry, Tai," Mimi said as she unlocked her front door.

Again, he grabbed her hand. "I told you it wasn't me! This is no joke to me, Mimi." Tai had to do something, anything, to stop her from simply walking away.

"I will try to believe you," Mimi offered him a sincere, sad smile and then continued saying, "I just don't want to talk about it right now. Please." She gave his hand a tender squeeze before letting go. "You, too, should be worrying about the exams."

The teen ran his fingers through his messy hair and nodded in agreement. "So it's alright?" Tai didn't complete his sentence, for he knew that she understood what he meant.

Mimi simply nodded in response.

"Friends?"

"Friends," Mimi answered with a small smile. Her heart pounded as she turned away; she knew she was cheating herself of her feelings, but she also felt as if now was not the time.

Tai watched in disbelief as the girl before him entered her apartment and without a second glance closed the door behind her. He curled his hands into fists as he stood by her door, the memories of what had just happened speeding through his mind. His disappointment then turned to anger at himself; why did he have to make himself believe that she liked him more than just a friend? Mimi Takchikawa was simply confused. What had just happened was living proof of that. His anger then shifted to the very root of their aggravation, and he knew exactly how to vent his anger. Tai withdrew his phone from his pockets and dialed the number of the person that he knew would help him exert his 'retaliation.'

~i~

By late afternoon, the halls of Odaiba Preparatory School were nearly empty. Only the few students that belonged to different clubs or sport teams still lingered after school hours were over. Joshua Enna, being part of the school's Newspaper Crew, had to stay after school to fulfill his extracurricular duties. Today, though, he felt as though hanging around while the school was this empty was not exactly _safe_, especially since the soccer team also had practice after school, and _especially_ when the subject of the gossip he had unintentionally created also happened to be the captain of said team.

Without saying any goodbyes to his fellow club members, Joshua hastily left the Newspaper Crew's room. Maybe he could sneak out through the locker rooms without being spotted? As he paced through the halls, Joshua decided he was being overly dramatic over the whole ordeal. Tai and Mimi probably did not even care that nearly everyone in the school was well aware of their personal life; after all, Mimi already seemed to him like she was attention needy anyways. Maybe she was even enjoying her moment of fame.

As he neared the exit of the locker rooms, his worries greatly diminished. He stepped through the back door and at long last he felt freed from the school. His relief did not last for long, though. Before he could even react, Tai Kamiya and Matt Ishida had him cornered behind the indoor sports' school building. "Enna," Tai sneered, his face now dangerously close, and Joshua had the fleeting thought of resisting, but he knew he would be no match for the bigger Tai.

"H—hey guys come on…"

"Don't play dumb with us, Joshua," said Matt as he, too, inched closer to the boy.

He felt helpless; all he was left to do to save his own skin was spill the truth. "Look, I totally didn't mean for that to happen, I swear."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you tell that to my knuckles," said Tai. He seemed to be enjoying the fear he was causing the shorter boy. Joshua was showered with relief as Matt made an effort to lower Tai's fist.

"I'm serious! I only told my girlfriend cause well… if you guys were doing it, then I kinda hinted that I wanted to do it with her, too. She must have told everyone…" Joshua's response made Matt burst into sniggers.

"Who the hell is your girlfriend?" Tai demanded.

"Uh—Aiko."

"Aiko who?"

"Aiko Takahashi…" Joshua finally said in an undertone. Fortunately for him, his answer got the reaction he desired; almost automatically, upon realization of who they were talking about, Matt and Tai backed away several inches. "Look, I know I shouldn't have told her—"

"No shit Sherlock, that girlfriend of yours has a big ass mouth. Everything you tell her will become headlines in the school within hours," said Tai spitefully. Joshua was too appalled by his own disposition to care about the way Tai was talking of his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, alright? Blame it on her…"

Matt then finally let out the laughs he had been trying to suppress all the while. "You actually—you actually told her cause you—you wanted in her pants," Tai, too, then joined in the jeering.

This seemed to greatly upset the younger teen. "Eff you guys," he exclaimed before squirming away from their grasp and simply walking away.

* * *

**_Digimon, and it's characters, do not belong to me. This was made for leisure and nonprofit purposes only._**


	5. The Pin

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the incredible long wait! This was a terribly hectic semester for me, true excuse... Don't have much to say except that we're nearing the end of _Summer_, even if it doesn't yet feel like it. Please review! Your reviews will compell me to update faster, this I guarantee... lol.

* * *

_**The Pin**_

When Mimi sent Tai away, she, at that moment, did not realize that it would later cause her so much heart ache. Mimi finally came to the conclusion that Tai _cared_—that to him, she was important. Her anger had clouded her judgment earlier; perhaps having a decent conversation with Tai about their feelings would have soothed her internal turmoil. Mimi, at this very moment, felt like the villain of the story by turning down Tai, who had eagerly approached her to patch things up. Her finals did not seem as important anymore, but all the other events going on in her life helped her take her mind off of her best friend.

The brunette stood outside Izzy's apartment door, waiting for it to be answered. She did not have to wait long though, for soon after she rang his bell, her shorter and much more calm-headed friend allowed her in to his abode. Without many words the two teens set to study for their Biology final, and for the two young DigiDestined time seemed to fly by. Next thing they knew they had been studying for three hours straight without any—much needed—breaks. With an exasperated sigh, Mimi closed her textbook shut, set her notebook away, and organized her pens, highlighters, note cards, and markers back in her backpack. Izzy followed suit.

"Hey, Izzy, did I ever tell you?" Mimi leaned back on his bed as she asked him.

"Uh… tell me what, Meems?" His brown eyes were now on his laptop.

The older teenager shifted on the bed and smiled, "About the fashion show!"

Izzy eyed her curiously after a while, and deep down he felt half disappointed, for he expected her to explain what all the gossip about her and Tai was all about. "Oh, no. What about a fashion show?"

"You know Akira Nakamura?"

"The guy with the spiky hair?" Izzy continued asking after seeing her nod in agreement, "That one guy that transferred from Hong Kong last year, right?"

"Yeah! Well we're good friends, and he has '_connections_,'" the girl quoted Akira and giggled in a mocking manner, "And he asked me if I wanted to model in an underground fashion show this Saturday."

"Oh wow, did he just tell you recently? Isn't that a bit too late?" Mimi just rolled her eyes at his question; to her, the simple fact that she was going to get to model was enough. Now that the two teenagers were casually chatting, Izzy decided to bring up his question about the ongoing gossip—not that such frivolities actually concerned him, but he was worried about what people said of his friends, plus he wanted to have a clear version of what happened so that any other changing gossip would not bother him the least bit. "Hey Mimi, is what the school is saying about you and Tai true?" Izzy asked with a murmur.

Mimi's head turned to him and he immediately noticed her frown. "What did they say?" The girl asked quietly.

The boy sighed; he almost regretted daring to ask such a question. "That you and Tai are going out now, that you're having sex," he finally asked, cautiously choosing his words. Of course his classmates were not so gentle when they were spreading the rumor, harsher things like infidelities—names such as Mai Liyong and Akira Nakamura came up in conversations—were beginning to surface, but these were ignored by Izzy.

Mimi gave him a sad smile, and then looked down; it seemed as if her fingernails had suddenly become extremely interesting.

"It's OK, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just want to know what's true and what's not… well because you guys are my friends and all—"

"No, Izzy," The brown haired girl interrupted him, "It's alright for you to be curious, everyone was bound to find out anyways," Mimi offered him a tender smile.

"So they're true?" There was a hint of disbelief in his voice; perhaps he was hoping that everything was just a bunch-load of bullcrap.

She shook her head and explained, "Me and Tai are not going out…" how _I wish we were…_ "But we did have sex." The girl choked a laugh at Izzy's surprised expression. "It's a long story, don't worry about it. Anything else that's being said around the school is a lie," The girl finished sternly.

"Roger that, Meems.

Their conversation soon after shifted tides, and Mimi quickly explained that she was expected home for dinner, for she had a serious appointment later that night to rehearse at a club close to the famous Zepp Tokyo… The two friends said their goodbyes and scheduled yet another studying session for the next day before Mimi left his house, now on her way to her own home.

~i~

Tai Kamiya blew on his whistle as a mischievous nine-year-old jumped on the adult's side of the pool. The boy made a face at Tai, stuck his tongue out at the lifeguard on duty, and continued to leisurely swim on the adult's pool. The teenager had to take a deep breath to calm himself; his manager had been away on his office for the past thirty minutes, so Tai really could care less if the youngster wanted to swim on the deeper pool. Tai was in a good mood today; Matt was spending what was left of the afternoon with him, keeping him company.

"So how's Sora as a girlfriend?" Tai asked in his boredom. He normally couldn't imagine Sora being a girly girl, let alone your regular, everyday girlfriend.

The messy-haired boy had to wait a while for his friend to answer, for the other teen was busily texting on his phone. "Huh? Oh. I don't know, she has her moods," Matt finally replied.

"Elaborate—" Tai began saying but had to blow his whistle at yet another kid that also decided to jump in to the adult's pool.

"Well sometimes she really wants to be left alone to her business and other times nothing can stop the wave of text messages she sends me," He leaned closer to Tai and showed his best friend his message inbox, "two-hundred and fifty messages in storage, two-hundredish of them are hers, haha!" Tai joined in his laughter, but deep down he felt momentarily jealous of Matt's good fortune, who was finally able to be with Sora. "Say Tai, how are things between you and Mimi?"

The amateur lifeguard turned his gaze to the pool, and Matt easily recognized that he entered a touchy subject. "To tell you the truth I don't know," Tai then explained his meeting with her earlier in the day.

The blond whistled slightly once his friend finished explaining, "I guess she's really pissed off about what happened in school… but the expression on Joshua's face was priceless!" Again the teens laughed in unison, although their laughter subsided once Matt's cellular phone began ringing.

"Matt speaking."

"Hi Matt, it's Mimi," the blond could almost hear the smile in her voice.

"Oh sup."

"Well I was just calling to remind you about tonight, you're not gonna back down, are you?"

"Uh… I don't have any other choice, do I?" Matt had to suppress rolling his eyes in annoyance; the only reason Matt agreed to accompany Mimi to her rehearsals tonight was because of the guilt he felt towards the situation at school, he wasn't too eager about accompanying her since he had to prepare for his finals as well. He knew that if he didn't pass his classes with flying colors his dad would surely not hesitate before grounding him.

"Nope." He heard her quiet, indignant reply.

The blond haired teenager turned to look at his best friend beside him, who was listening intently to the conversation and offered him a reassuring smile. "Alright, I'm guessing I have to pick you up at your house? Around what time?"

"At around seven or seven thirty, please."

"OK… I'll see you then."

"Cool! Bye!" Again, Matt could almost hear the smile on her lips.

"Laters," And without a second thought the boy hung up on his small cell phone.

Now that Matt was done with his phone call Tai figured it was safe to ask, "Who was that?"

"Your girlfriend," answered Matt, annoyed at the girl that had been on the phone.

"You're a comedian now, aren't you?" Tai's patience was running short when it came to his and Mimi's relationship; he had begun to despise questions that led to how things were between him and his other best friend.

Matt undressed, leaving only his swimming suit on, and told Tai before walking over to the edge of the pool, "You two should just declare your feelings for each other and get it over with. Everyone knows you like her and she likes you… honestly!"

~i~

Mimi Takchikawa had to admit that she was a tad jealous. Every once in a while she turned to look at her love-struck friends who were holding hands and whispering sweet things to each other as they walked. She wasn't jealous of Sora, nor jealous of Matt, she simply felt like the third wheel. Unbeknown to her, Matt had invited Sora to tag along while he walked her to the rehearsals. Mimi was delighted to know that Sora was coming as well, since she considered Sora one of her best friends, but she had no idea Sora and Matt would be _so_ into each other that she would feel ignored as they walked through the dark Odaiba Streets.

"You know if you're interested I could probably get you in Sora, and we could model together!" Mimi tried to start small chit-chat, but to no avail.

"Oh yeah? I don't know…" Sora expressed little to no interest in her topic.

"Modeling sounds gay," Matt murmured before swiftly kissing Sora's cheek.

The brunette sighed, and she temporarily amused herself by imagining what it would be like to be with Tai, if they ever happened, that is. Would they ever go on double dates with Sora and Matt? She smiled at the thought of the four of them together, as it had always been since their DigiDestined years. Now that she was distracted by her thoughts time seemed to fly by and before they knew it they had arrived to the underground club.

Glad that they were allowed in through the back door by one of Akira's friends (since they noticed they needed to pay and show their IDs if they entered through the front of the club), Mimi, Matt, and Sora found themselves backstage in The Pin. The Pin was a crowded night club (even on a weekday) that seemed smaller than it actually was; neon lights shifted back and forth on the roofs and eccentric individuals piled around the many sofas in the lounge. Mimi felt temporarily split from her two friends as she searched for Akira and was startled when someone tugged on the sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt and made her turn around.

Somebody hugged her tightly and whispered to her ear, "I was looking for you Mimi; I was afraid you weren't going to come." Mimi instantly recognized Akira's throaty voice and returned his embrace.

"Hey Akira, of course I'd come! How can I possibly miss this opportunity?" Said the brunette after she pulled away, but felt slightly uncomfortable as Akira didn't step away as much as she would have liked after they hugged.

"Come this way, I want you to meet the mastermind behind this fashion show," Akira stated before taking her hand and turning around. Mimi couldn't help but notice the slight way Akira intertwined his fingers with hers as he led the way across The Pin. They eventually reached a tight hallway and went in to a small room filled with Akira's sort of people. "Yo Mason, meet Mimi," Akira called over a tall, blond-haired Asian man that was sporting too much leather and jewelry (in Mimi's personal opinion).

"Oh look, this is the sweetie you keep talking about, Nakamura," the man said rather sweetly, making Mimi assume that they would get along.

"Mimi, Mason—Mason, Mimi," Akira introduced them but was interrupted by what seemed like the coordinator of the rehearsals, who quickly ushered everyone out of the room and towards a bigger room where all other prospective models gathered for their instructions. Akira never once let go of her hand as they found a corner in the room to wait for the coordinator's instructions, and it momentarily made Mimi wonder if he hadn't notice he was still holding her hand or if there was ulterior meaning behind it. She secretly hoped for the former.

* * *

**_Digimon, and it's characters, do not belong to me. This was made for leisure and nonprofit purposes only._**


	6. The Communal Pool

Author's Note: Hi! Just know that we're nearing the story's finale! I made this chapter extra fluffy for those romance junkies out there! Remember to review, and enjoy.

* * *

**_The Communal Pool_**

Mimi Takchikawa moved herself from her sitting position and straightened her burgundy summer dress before going to open her window in a desperate attempt to free herself from the unforgiving heat. Behind her, she heard her best friend, Sora Takenouchi, let out a grateful sigh, for she was also annoyed with the current temperature in the room. It was Thursday afternoon and Mimi, Izzy, and Sora were currently taking their longest study break of the day, mostly because the summer heat was unforgiving and prevented them from focusing with the task at hand. Mimi went back to her spot on her bed, all the while wondering how long it would take for the AC technician to finish fixing the AC in her apartment.

"Maybe we should go to Sora's house to finish studying?" Mimi suggested in defeat. Not long after the teens had met for yet another study session (their last final exam, Art History, was scheduled for Friday morning), they noticed the rise in temperature in Mimi's apartment, and her mom eventually informed them that the AC had suddenly stopped working. She then called a technician, yet the AC still refused to work.

"Not." Sora replied lazily; she hardly ever got any studying done at her house—her mom seemed to be in a perpetual bad mood and her stepdad was always quick to pick fights. "I say we call it a day and hang out with the group at the pool," she closed her textbook and notebook before continuing, "I miss everybody; it's been a long time since we've all been together."

Mimi seconded that. Because of their final exams, school projects, and major assignments, these past two weeks had been especially hectic. She barely got any chance to hang out with her group of friends—the DigiDestined. And because of her recent drama with her other best friend, Tai Kamiya, she had been extra hesitant to being with everyone at the same time, afraid of what they might say to her.

"Sounds like a good idea, but we still don't fully understand every concept, so I don't think we're completely done studying," added Izzy wisely. He was the one that always pushed them the extra mile with their studies.

Sora, however, seemed annoyed at this. "Alright then, you keep studying, I'm going to the pool," red-head told them before stretching her arms in the air and stuffing all her notebooks, pencils, and books into her backpack.

Mimi approached Izzy and ruffled his messy, auburn hair before saying to him, "Aww come on, Izzy. Plus I honestly don't think the Art History final is going to be _that_ hard."

It took the younger boy a couple seconds to think it over but he finally gave in. "Ok then, I guess," he said and smiled meekly.

"Sweet! Mimi do you still have my Brazilian flag swim suit?" Sora remembered that she had left one of her bikinis in Mimi's home, which she also realized was convenient for her now, that way she didn't have to stop by her house to change into swim clothes.

"Positive, boss," said Mimi as she searched her messy walk-in closet for Sora's clothes.

"I guess I'll meet you guys at the pool, then?" Izzy asked as he walked out of Mimi's bedroom.

"Yep," both girls said in unison.

~i~

It didn't take long for the two teens to change clothes and find themselves at the entrance of the communal pool. Mimi's stomach churned with excitement as she heard the buzz of people in the pool, and she smiled once she realized that all of her friends were present today, relaxing by the pool. "Wow, is this a coincidence or…?" Mimi began asking but Sora quickly answered her.

"Well I was talking to Matt this morning about how I missed hanging out with everyone and he suggested that we all meet again, before summer vacation starts; God knows one or two people in the group always leave the city to vacation somewhere during the summer." Sora led her to the building in front of the pool, through the lobby, and out the back door.

Mimi narrowed her eyes playfully as she realized that Sora and Matt had planned this all along. "Why you scheming little—" Mimi laughed but was ignored by Sora, who sped up and walked ahead of her, excitedly meeting her boyfriend. The brunette followed her friend, saying a few Hi's on the way to Matt's chair, unaware of the pair of chocolate-brown eyes that were watching her as she walked across the pool.

"Matt! You pulled it off!" Sora exclaimed, giving Matt a quick, passionate kiss on the lips.

"Haha! Yeah! Hey Mimi! So what do you think? I brought everyone together," the blond said, smiling at Mimi, and then allowed Sora to sit on the edge of his lap.

Mimi laughed before giving them a fake pout, "I feel ambushed though!" The petite girl then pushed a beach chair closer to their table and set her bag down after sitting on the chair. She scanned the pool and smiled now that she realized how much fun all of her friends were having. Mimi saw Davis, T.K., and Kari playing a splashing war on the water; Yolei and Ken were tossing an oversized beach ball back and forth; Izzy stepped in to the water, and sat on the underwater steps, next to the silent Cody. The brunette was surprised to even see Joe sitting with his best friend across from them, he saw her and waved Hello. Her eyes searched the pool for a certain brown haired boy, and felt her face blush once she saw him sitting on the high lifeguard chair. Tai looked gorgeous under the afternoon sun; he had a healthy summer tan and was sporting dark sunglasses. His sunglasses were so dark, however, that she wasn't sure if he was staring back at her or if he was simply looking at someone else.

"It's getting really hot, I'm gonna step in to the pool," said Matt before pushing Sora off of him. "Care to join, strawberry-head?" He asked his girlfriend, who rolled her eyes at the nickname he had given her.

"I'll pass, I think I'm gonna try to get a tan this summer… I don't wanna look all pale like last year." Sora spread out a beach towel on the floor and laid on top of it before spraying her legs with tanning oil.

"Be careful with those, Sora…" advised Mimi; she already had enough bad experiences with tanning oil sprays, and knew that if Sora wasn't careful enough, she would wake up tomorrow with orange legs. Mimi took her summer shirt off and stepped on the wet tiled floor as she followed Matt into the pool.

The two teens kept to the edge of the pool, so to avoid Davis's and T.K.'s splashing attacks. Mimi submerged her head in the pool a couple times to wet her hair before Matt began talking to her, "So Meems…"

"Hm?"

"Have you talked to Tai yet?" The blond played with his wet watch and watched her expression before she replied.

Mimi sighed and adverted her amber eyes to the boy in the lifeguard chair. "I just haven't had the chance…"

"That's a lie," Matt accused her, but avoided her questioning gaze. "Tai told me he tried talking to you… he went to your apartment and everything!"

The girl was now annoyed at her older friend, "It's not as easy as it sounds; I have no idea of what to tell him, Matt! What happened was a mistake; I kinda do wish I could take it back… I wish things didn't have to happen this way." Don't get her wrong, she _liked_ Tai, but she just didn't think that a jump from best friends to sexually active was the smartest thing to do.

Matt shook his head in disapproval, "Well try not to tell him that, OK?"

The brunette girl looked at him in disbelief, "What?"

"You'll crush his heart—have you no idea of how much Tai likes you? It's like everyone notices except for you—" Matt tone was a tad aggravated, but he stopped himself from lecturing her when he saw Sora had stepped in to the water and was now approaching them.

Mimi looked down at her feet through the rippled water in shame. Matt's words had caught her by surprise; she truly had no idea that Tai had that sort of feelings for her. Sure, they had made love to each other not longer than a week ago, but she had figured and decided that boys were just horny and that what they had done was a sort of experimenting with the opposite sex. She loved every moment spent with him, but wasn't quite mature to face it. Beside her, Sora was happily blabbering to her boyfriend about things Mimi hardly cared about at this moment, but her red-haired friend was quick to notice her moment of silence, so she asked, "Mimi are you alright? Why so quiet all of a sudden?"

The teen looked up at Sora, slightly startled at her words. "Oh… sorry, I have to go take care of something, strawberry-head," Mimi smiled as Sora began fuming at the nickname. "What happened to getting a tan, by the way?" The girl asked as she slowly walked away.

"Yeah, what happened with that, strawberry-head?" Matt, again, teased her.

Mimi left her friends laughing and teasing each other; she intended to fix things and get her other best friend back. She looked over where Tai usually had to sit, as the lifeguard on duty, but was quite disappointed to see that he wasn't there anymore and that another sun-tanned teen had taken his place. She avoided Yolei's beach ball (which would have hit her square on her face had she not dodged it in time) as she walked across the tiled floor in her search for Tai Kamiya. Mimi decided to enter the administrative building and once inside she felt her pulse quicken when she saw Tai's toned, bare chest as he walked away the opposite direction and in to a staff room. The girl followed behind him but was reprimanded by the receptionist for walking inside the building with her wet feet, though she decidedly ignored the finicky woman.

The teen slowly opened the staff room in an attempt to sneak in without Tai noticing and slipped inside the room. Tai, however, had a quick ear, so he turned around and caught Mimi lurking behind him. She stopped rooted to the spot, and had he been in a different disposition he would have laughed at her startled appearance, for she looked like a deer in headlights. "Mimi," Tai breathed in surprised.

Said girl inhaled deeply to try to stop the blush that was creeping to her cheeks. To her, at this very moment, Tai looked like a model from a magazine cover; his upper body was slim and toned, his usually tanned skin seemed darker than usual, no doubt thanks to his new job as a lifeguard, and his handsomely boyish face was flushed with a reddish tint, most likely due to the heat and the sun. Mimi offered him a small, shy smile as she pushed a strand of her damp, hazelnut hair behind her ear, in a flirtatious manner. "Hi Tai," the girl finally said.

"Why aren't you outside, enjoying the sun?" Tai asked, and Mimi couldn't decide if he was being nonchalant or bitter.

"I was wondering the same thing about you—"

Mimi began speaking but Tai quickly said, "My shift just ended, I was about to clock out and join you guys outside."

Deep down, Mimi wished Tai would smile, but his mood seemed a bit irritable. "I wanted to talk to you, Tai, about Friday night," she had to start somewhere, right?

Her words caught his attention and he complied by saying, "OK," before crossing his arms and waiting for her to begin.

"I'm sorry for what happened Monday afternoon… I shouldn't have overreacted, I should have listened to what you wanted to tell me," Mimi spoke sincerely but her voice shook when she saw the frown forming above his beautiful, chocolate-brown eyes.

Tai shook his head and looked away before saying, "Mimi, for a whole week you didn't speak a word to me. For a whole week I had to assume that you hated me because of what happened at that stupid party." His level of irritation increased with every word he spat out.

"Tai… I don't hate you; I never hated you." She drew closer to him and rested her small hand on his left forearm.

Tai, however, felt too hurt to digest the apology that she had begun to imply. He shook her hand off before continuing saying, "I'm sorry Mimi, alright? I'm sorry if you feel that I took advantage of you. I swear that wasn't my intention…"

Mimi couldn't take the ache in her heart any longer; she loved her best friend. She loved him both ways, and now that she came under this realization nobody could ever tell her otherwise. She took a step forward as he was talking and threw her arms around his torso, embracing his bigger form. "I didn't want things to turn out this way, Mimi," the boy said as he returned her embrace. "I wish I wasn't so weak and stupid and I had expressed how I feel towards you differently."

"It's alright, Tai," said Mimi, her heart now racing, for she was elated at his words.

Tai pulled away from her hug and held her small face on his hands. "What I felt that night was real," he whispered to her after a few moments of staring into her eyes.

Mimi's eyes widened and her face turned bright red. She smiled and after a while she nodded and softly told him, "I wouldn't have done anything with you if I didn't like you so very much, Tai."

Now it was Tai's turn to blush. "Then, why has this week been so difficult for the both of us?"

The girl took his hands away from her face and slightly backed away. "I was confused, and I didn't quite understand how I was supposed to feel," said Mimi before shaking her head in shame. "I don't think I'm mature enough to know how to deal with having sex. But not talking to you this week has made me realize just how much I miss you."

The teen offered her his signature boyish smile in response to her words and Mimi momentarily wondered if he had felt the same way this week. Somehow, without her noticing, they were back to being so very close to each other. His beautiful, sun-burned lips were just inches away from her, yet she hesitated. Was she allowed to kiss him yet? Should she give in, just like the way she did that fateful Friday night? No—that weakness was what got her in this very predicament in the first place. But while her mind pondered Tai had taken the initiative; he held her face again and placed his other hand on the small of her back. He drew her close and soon his lips had made contact with hers. Mimi's heart fluttered as she allowed Tai to kiss her; she allowed his lips to lead their movements and she pressed her body against his, all the while elated that she could let her hands roam and feel his toned arms.

A cough behind them brought them back to reality and made the teens pull away and step back in embarrassment. Tai's supervisor stood under the door frame with one eyebrow arched in a mixture of amusement and vexation. "Kamiya… I hope you're not on the clock."

"Uh, sir, Satoshi's on duty right now," Tai told him after clearing his throat in embarrassment. He took Mimi's hand in his and proceeded to walk away from his supervisor's office. Mimi quickly followed right behind him, too bewildered to utter a word. Though once they were out of earshot from the supervisor they laughed in unison.

"Race you to the pool?" The girl suggested playfully. Tai nodded and let Mimi take the lead. They ignored the lifeguard's continuous whistling as they ran, since they weren't allowed to run around the wet tiled floor, and jumped in to the pool, splashing water on Sora and Matt.

"Well excuse you…" Matt breathed, startled.

"Jerks!" Sora exclaimed in vexation.

Matt noticed how Mimi and Tai laughed at them together, so he felt it was safe to assume that things were back to normality… more or less. "So it's all good?" The blond asked Mimi.

Mimi nodded as she watched Tai, the source of her woes and happiness, join Davis and T.K. in their water fight.

~i~

For the remaining of the afternoon the teens relaxed with each other at the pool. Deep down Mimi was slightly bothered by how ambiguous hers and Tai's relationship was. Were they boyfriend and girlfriend now? Or were they just simply friends? She wanted to address her discomfort to Tai, but couldn't get a chance to, for both teens were surrounded by people the rest of the afternoon. But soon it was time to leave, and Mimi made sure not to forget to remind Matt that she had modeling rehearsals that night, and that she needed him to accompany her yet again, like he had done for the past three days. Matt, however, was saved from having to accompany Mimi, since this time Tai offered to take her (the fact that he had a car and could drive her there instead was a huge plus).

On the way to the club, though, Tai showered her with stories of the things that he had done over the week, like he was accustomed to, so Mimi was hesitant, and had little time, to bring up the topic of their relationship. They were just a few blocks away from the club when Mimi finally brought up the courage. "Hey Tai…" Mimi sheepishly began talking.

"Yeah Meems?"

"I'm curious to know—I mean I don't really under—" She was cut short when she heard her cell phone ringing. She checked the caller ID before answering and saw that it was Akira the one that had interrupted her. Mimi thought for a second and decided to answer his call. "Moshi moshi! Yep I'm coming. Oh because my friend Tai has a car so we came later. Yeah. Cool, I'll see ya," Mimi had a brief conversation with Akira before hanging up. By the time she finished talking they were a couple yards away from the club, so it was too late for her to ask him.

"Who was that?" Tai asked while he looked for a place to park his small, cherry-red car.

"Akira Nakamura," Mimi sighed in annoyance. He had simply called to ask her if she was still coming, since she was arriving a tad later than when she usually arrived. The girl decided she didn't like just how out of character Akira was acting lately; the real Akira shouldn't give a damn if a girl like her missed rehearsals to a fashion show… he was just too important for that, or so she thought.

"Oh… so what did you want to tell me earlier?" Her best friend asked her with slight interest.

"It's nothing, Tai," Mimi told him, followed by a small, fake smile.

The teens exited the car, but not soon after Tai cursed loudly as he remembered that he was supposed to run some errands for his mom. He politely excused himself before getting on his car and leaving Mimi by herself outside of The Pin. Mimi felt half saddened and half annoyed that Tai was so forgetful and irresponsible that he had to leave her like this, but a cramping pain on her lower stomach caught her attention, and she momentarily wondered the source of the usually familiar cramps.

Mimi's eyes widened as she had a sudden realization. She rushed into the club and made her way to the nearest restroom. The girl seemed to have to run out of luck, however, since Akira had spotted her, and was now making his way towards her. "Uh not now Akira…" the girl said as she rushed past him. Mimi walked in to the girl's restroom, stepped in to an empty stall, and a wide smile graced her lips once she realized that she had gotten her monthly gift—her period. She _wasn't_ pregnant!

* * *

**_Digimon, and it's characters, do not belong to me. This was made for leisure and nonprofit purposes only._**


	7. Weekend Nights

Author's Note: Ok I give you my permission to hate me and kill me. I took forever with this! And I'm sincerely sorry. All I gotta say for now is... enjoy the last chapter! And don't forget to review! I love you readers! Warning: Major fluff throughout.

* * *

_**Weekend Nights**_

Friday night had been bliss for Mimi. It had been one of those moments when she could simply forget about her worries and just enjoy herself with the people closest to her. Now that she and Tai were on friendly terms (friendly being an understatement) her circle of close friends had been brought back to normal, and she was currently sitting on Tai's bed, while she listened to Sora reveal her middle school secrets as she, Tai, Matt, Sora, T.K., Kari and Izzy enjoyed a casual game of truth or dare; Joey being the only one absent because of the fact that he hung out with a different crowd nowadays.

The brunette was sporting an impromptu, small summer dress, consequently making her feel cold as she was exposed to the bedroom's AC, so she had to wrap herself with one of Tai's blankets. Said boy was also sitting on his bed next to her, and she occasionally noticed the way their hands touched tentatively every once in a while whenever Tai leaned forward in his sitting position to laugh at their jokes; or whenever she just happened to sway more to her left to rearrange the blanket around her.

Truthfully speaking, there was absolutely no point in playing truth or dare between themselves, since they already knew nearly everything about each other from either playing the game so many times, or for the simple fact that they had been friends for years. "And you know how boys were back then, so he stopped talking to me after that!" Sora, who was sitting on the wooden floor between Matt and T.K., finished her story about her middle school crush with a giggle before being tackled into an affectionate hug by her boyfriend. Mimi, along with the rest of the teens in the room laughed at their playfulness, but she was still able to notice the lingering smile Tai offered her, and decidedly leaned closer to him, reducing the distance between them.

"Your turn Matt, truth of dare?" Tai eventually asked his best friend as the laughter subsided.

"Uhh—"

"Let's change it up a little, no more dares for you, mister!" Mimi pointed an accusing finger at Matt, who all this time had been taking advantage of his dares to make out with Sora.

"Alright fine! Truth," the blond said with a shrug.

Mimi saw the question coming before it even escaped Tai's smirking lips. "How far would you be willing to go with Sora?"

Both teens blushed profoundly at Tai's daring question; Sora clasped a hand over her mouth to hide a smirk and Matt looked away while he scratched the back of his head, trying to avoid everyone's gazes.

"That's not a fair question…" Matt tried to avert the attention away from his burning face.

"Answer!" Exclaimed Kari excitedly.

"Allthewayhome," Matt whispered in a rush, hoping they wouldn't be able to catch it, especially Sora.

Oh Mimi heard all right, but she just felt like making her friend suffer. "Say what? I couldn't hear you," She leaned forward on the bed, allowing the blanket to slip down her shoulders, and was well aware of Tai's gaze on her cleavage.

"Home base, damn it!" Matt blurted in vexation, and the teens, with the exception of Sora, laughed in unison at his outburst.

Tai and Mimi exchanged glances while the rest were busy either jeering at Matt's disposition or having side conversations. "He won't feel so shy once they've done it," Mimi casually commented.

Tai raised his eyebrows playfully and finally asked as flashes of what they had done a week ago filled his mind, "Are you sure about that?"

The girl simply blushed and turned away just as Matt began to direct his retaliation at Tai. "Alright, you guys wanna play dirty? I guess we can turn the awkwardness in the room up a notch," Matt's thoughts trailed as he addressed Tai. "Your turn Tai, truth or dare?"

"No! More like _dare_ or dare!" Sora quickly exclaimed with an evil look on her eyes.

The brown haired teen raised his hands in defense but eventually gave in, "Alright fine; dare."

Mimi saw T.K. whisper something into Sora's ear and feared for her life. The girl seemed to finally make up her mind and said, "Tai I dare you to kiss Mimi." Said girl's eyes widened, _oh no she didn't_, but it seemed as if Sora wasn't done. "And not just a normal kiss either!"

"French kiss!" T.K. cut in with an equally evil smirk.

"And I wanna see tongue!" Matt just had to put the icing on the cake, didn't he?

Mimi heard Tai laughing beside her and wondered if he had gone nuts. The boy sighed and turned his attention towards her before saying, "Do we have any other choice? They seem to want a spectacle." The girl crossed her arms and pouted indignantly. Her face was now flushed, but the reassuring look on Tai's eyes felt like they were drawing her in.

She struggled with the blanket around her, but Tai was quick to catch her when she stumbled in the bed. Her heart pounded hard as she sat next to him, and she felt how it skipped a beat or two when Tai's hand made contact with her burning face. The whispered giggles around her were drowned out as their faces inched closer together, and now all that mattered was that Tai had her once again mesmerized. The fact that they had done it before did not make the sensation any easier to handle. Her honey-colored eyes closed almost subconsciously, and she tilted her face to feel the most perfectly planted kiss Tai had ever given her. Their lips opened and intertwined, and Mimi half-mindedly grasped Tai's neck closer to her with her smaller hands. For the slightest moment time seemed to stop and they momentarily forgot that they were being watched; the only thing that mattered was that their bodies and lips were so _very much _in sync with each other and the heat between them was drawing them closer and closer until they couldn't tell north or south apart—

"Ahem! Guys!" Someone snapped from a foggy land far away and Mimi was forced to open her eyes. Her lips and face were throbbing as blood rapidly pumped through her, and the first thing she was able to spot were Tai's beautiful eyes looking back at her.

"Carried away much?" They heard Izzy's voice among the many giggles and whispers and the girl suddenly felt self-conscious of her disheveled appearance.

"Right…" Tai turned away from her and she could have sworn she saw him blushing as much as she was.

"That was an awful dare, Sora," Matt commented in annoyance that he had granted Tai a pleasure instead of embarrassment.

Sora sighed then said, "OK, your turn Mimi, truth or dare?"

"Please don't say dare," said Kari.

"I fold."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" T.K. asked angrily.

"I quit," Mimi laughed sheepishly, "you guys can play without me." She hated being the wet blanket, but she could still feel her heart pounding all the way up to her Adam's apple and she wasn't sure she could handle any more excitement.

Sora, this time in turn, jumped in to her aid; she stretched her arms up in the air and yawned, "Yeah I'm getting kinda tired."

"It's a Friday night!" Kari protested.

"I call sleepover at Tai's house," Izzy jumped in with a suggestion.

"Sounds good," Matt murmured among the nodding faces.

Mimi gracefully leapt from the bed and casually brushed them off, "I'll pass, my fashion show is tomorrow and I have to be at the club tomorrow morning for preparations."

"Oh I forgot about that…" T.K. mumbled as he too got up.

"We'll be there, Meems!" Izzy reassured her.

"You guys better be!" She pretended to give him an angry look then turned to Tai, "Can I get a ride home?"

The boy offered her one of his charming smiles and whispered almost only to her, "You didn't even have to ask." He took her hand and for the slightest second they held each other, until Mimi broke off and led the way out of his bedroom.

They walked out of the apartment in silence after Mimi said her goodbyes to Tai's parents, and they turned their direction towards the parking lot, and towards Tai's small car. They lingered outside of the car for a couple seconds in an unspoken comfort. Then suddenly and unexpectedly, Tai said, "Mimi, be my girlfriend."

The girl was caught off guard at first then her lips burst into a smile. She nearly jumped on him with an embrace and kissed his cheek several times before exclaiming, "Yes, yes, yes!" He held the ecstatic girl in his arms until she was able to calm down, and then kissed her lips roughly and possessively, as if they had always meant to be. Mimi pressed her chest against him and kissed him back, though in some ways lacking the intensity from their previous dared kiss.

Eventually yet hesitantly they broke off, and Tai was left with whispering—now satisfied—"Let's get you home then." She nodded enthusiastically and soon they were both inside the car and out to the Odaiba streets.

~i~

The following day felt a little too hectic for the soon-to-be model. The moment Mimi stepped in to The Pin, she had been continuously harassed (along with the other models) by the director, the producers, and Mason to give it a 110% at the fashion show. It turned out that Mason was a finicky perfectionist and was extremely hard to please, so he didn't exactly help to keep the stress levels at check. What annoyed Mimi the most, however, was that Akira was also around her a little too much, which was a bit of a distraction, since she had to deal with her role as a model, and also had to deal with Akira's 'attempts' to be friendly.

"I suggested to Mason that you should open the show with him, but he wanted a more experienced model to do that apparently…" Akira told her with a smirk as he leaned next to her dresser chair. Mimi almost jumped in surprise when he said this though (making her make-up artist slap her face back in place while he worked), since she obviously didn't feel experienced enough to open a fashion show either; she had to admit that Akira's helpfulness was beginning to become a nuisance.

"No—Akira—don't—OK, OK, I'm sorry I won't look anywhere else anymore," she blurted apologetically as her make-up artist shot her angry glares.

"Really though, I feel like you have enough potential for something like this. It could be a breakthrough for your modeling career."

_What modeling career?_ She _had no_ modeling career yet, and she was not about to mess up on her first opportunity. "There. Done." Her make-up artist nearly shoved her face away once he was done and hastily stepped out of their conversation. Mimi grimaced and gently massaged her jaw—making sure not to rub any of her make-up off—and gave Akira a stern look before saying, "Akira, you don't have to do anything else," she offered him a friendly, apologetic smile, "I think I have enough on my shoulders already."

"OK if you say so…" he sighed and stepped back in defeat.

"What's your role here anyways? I've seen you in and out but I'm not even sure what you do," Mimi punched his arm lightly, in a joking manner.

The eccentric boy just shrugged. "I'm here to annoy you, I guess."

Mimi was about to pout and reply when she was dragged away to the dressing rooms by an assistant to finally change clothes; it was 30 minutes until show time.

~i~

Despite her efforts to not stand out too much however, Mimi was after all assigned to wear Mason's last set of clothes, and consequently, had to close the show with him. By the time she was able to retreat to a messy, desolated corner backstage to take a deep breath or two, she already had migraine. Turns out that fashion shows weren't as gallant as she had imagined them to be; the backstage of the small club seemed to be too packed for some of the models, who now appeared to be hyperventilating as they rushed to take their wardrobes off; wardrobe and make-up assistants were going hither and thither gathering their things and helping out some of the other girls; and even those who organized the event were in a rush to get things packed up and leave.

Much to Mimi's delight, Mason told them that each of the models were allowed to keep an outfit of their choice, so the brunette, being in her annoyed state of mind, just resolved to keep the outfit she was currently wearing, this way she could just avoid everybody and finally leave once the club was empty. Next to her she heard her cell phone buzz and subconsciously reached for it to read her newly received text message. "_You were brilliant Mimi :). Where are you now?_" The girl couldn't stop the wide smile that graced her face after reading Tai's warm words and remembered the countless times Tai offered her thumbs up from within the crowd. She bit her lip excitedly and quickly typed a reply, "_I'm backstage, hiding from the world for a little bit. Too stressed at the moment_."

After sending the message Mimi let out sigh and reached over her feet to attempt to take her ten-inch platform stiletto heels off. She struggled and eventually gave up with a grunt. Her phone vibrated again and she eagerly read Tai's reply, "_Is it OK if I come find you? Or do you wanna stay alone?_"

_Of course I want you to come_, Mimi thought to herself imagining Tai coming backstage to sweep her off her feet, like he always did. She tried to stand up on her stilettos and at the same time began typing on her phone once again, this however, proved to be a costly mistake; her eyes were distracted on the cell phone screen and just as she was half way up to her full length someone staggered next to her as they tried to make their way across the crowded room. The perpetrator accidentally knocked her forward, making her stumble on her heels and before she even hit the ground, and before she could even feel any pain, she heard a sickening crack at the base of her—now twisted—right ankle.

Mimi crashed her phone and hands against the floor, and her head came in painful contact with the wall next to her as she fell. Her immediate reaction was to collect her whole body close to her as tears of pain watered her eyes. Her clouded eyes eventually opened to look for the person that had pushed her, but again all she saw were people coming and going, all minding their own businesses, not caring or aware of the defeated girl that was laying crumpled on the ground. Searing pain overwhelmed her leg and she had to fight back the tears; right at this very moment she felt abandoned and ignored. Mimi hastily grabbed her phone and punched into the keys "_I'm backstage around wardrobe, in a corner. Please come. I need you_."

With some difficulty, Mimi was able to shift herself to a sitting position against the wall while she waited for Tai. Just as she thought that things couldn't get any worse however, she spotted Akira waltzing in to the room with a smug smile on his face, apparently looking for someone, and she inwardly cursed under her breath; being around Akira at this moment of weakness wasn't exactly in her top ten list of things she wanted to do right now. The teen spotted her and hastily approached her with an annoyingly (in Mimi's honest opinion) concerned look on his face. "Mimi! What's wrong? You look hurt… your make-up…" He said as he crouched in front of her, a little too close for Mimi's comfort.

The girl grimaced before replying, "I must have sprained my ankle or something…"

"Let me help you up then! We gotta take you to a clinic," he began to reach over for her but she protested.

Mimi feebly tried to keep him at a distance while she breathed, "No, it's OK I'm fine—"

"Mimi! You're obviously not fine. Relax, you'll be alright," Akira gave her a warm look and she was able to calm down; maybe him helping her wasn't such a bad thing after all. Her appeased expression, however, must have hinted a whole different thing to him, for as she was beginning to lean forward into his arms for his help he seemed to have misinterpreted her actions, and he, too, leaned in forward and planted a clumsy kiss on her moist, tear-stained lips.

The brunette would have leaned back in shock had her head not been against the wall after Akira kissed her. Their lips remained locked for another split second and her widened eyes were able to spot Tai Kamiya standing by the door frame, staring at them with confusion, hurt, and ultimately, disgust.

"Mimi…" The girl would have heard his whispered words, but the noise in the room had drowned out Tai's hurt words. With a feeble push, Mimi was able to detach Akira off her, but it was too late. "It's this what you wanted me to come here for?" She heard Tai ask before he turned on his heel and left the room.

Every sensation was drowned out of her system except for the lingering ache in her heart at the sight of Tai's disappointed chocolate-brown eyes. She clasped her hand over her mouth as newly created tears began to trickle down her face. "Mimi? What's wrong?" The idiot of Akira seemed to also be in a daze—albeit a satisfied daze—so he was oblivious to the damage he had originated.

Once her tears had subsided though, a new emotion began to fill her very core; she was furious. Mimi finally found the strength to smack Akira's arm forcefully and exclaimed, "You dumbass! Why'd you do that for?"

He just stared at her blankly.

"Just take me to the goddamned hospital." Her word was final.

~i~

She felt like an idiot. She felt like she was a fool for letting things go so badly wrong, but she also felt that she wholeheartedly deserved what was happening between her and Tai. It was her punishment for not telling him that she loved him from the very beginning; before she had gone to any fashion show with Akira; before they had made love in Izzy's party. Sure, she deserved to have a sprained ankle and being unable to properly walk without crutches; she deserved to be heartbroken and Akira also probably deserved to have his heart broken, too, but Tai, he didn't deserve this. Tai was brilliant and honest and brave and everything she just didn't have the courage to be. And now he probably didn't even want to have anything to do with her.

This she understood and accepted, but if Tai really did want to sever their friendship for good (which he probably had every right to do), he also deserved the complete truth. This way, even if her heart was broken and she wouldn't be the same without him as a best friend or boyfriend or friend, she would still feel that she did the right thing for him.

After the incident at the fashion show, after Akira had taken Mimi to the hospital and her parents had shown up concerned and angry at her, after her ankle had been tightly wrapped and she had been given crutches and medications, Mimi had attempted to get in contact with Tai countless times. Of course he had not picked up a single one of her phone calls, and it was understandable. He was most likely angry and disappointed and _hurt_. They had just begun to go out and Mimi had to go mess things up, well scratch that, _Akira_ had to go mess things up. Somehow, even though Mimi had accepted the reality that Tai might not want to be with her anymore, she felt cheated; cheated of the relationship they could have had, had Akira not shown up to ruin things for them. Maybe it was her fault? Maybe she led Akira on?

Well all things considered, Mimi had somehow summed up the courage and had asked her dad to drop her off at the communal pool Sunday night, when she was sure Tai would get off work, so that they could talk. She stood awkwardly at the front gates of the pool, one arm over a crutch while the other reached over to open the gate. She slowly made her way to the pool side while her heart beat hard against her chest. Mimi had gone over what she would tell him in her head countless times, but now that she was actually here, it seemed as if all her planned out words had flown away and out of her mind.

A chilly, night breeze caught her by surprise and the girl cursed under her breath, wishing she didn't have to carry a crutch so she could at least cross her arms if she felt cold. The pool was lonely, and she momentarily wondered if everyone had left, including Tai, but her worries were diminished once she saw a lone figure by one of the storage rooms, silently locking up a door. There was something about his usually composed posture that seemed sad, abandoned, and her eyes watered once she decided that she was the one that was causing him this suffering. The girl kept walking forward, not really paying attention to the fact that her feet were slowly taking her closer and closer to the edge of the pool. Tai's ears must have heard the slight disturbance around his otherwise lonely pool, because he turned around and Mimi stopped dead in her tracks, panic taking over her.

"Tai, I want to talk," the girl almost whispered.

He stepped forward in defiance and told her with sheer cynicism, "What, you're going to explain how being with only one person isn't enough for you?"

Her lips quivered, "No Tai… you don't understand—"

"Then make me understand." His tone was adamant.

"What you saw was a mistake, it was completely unexpected—"

"Well I'm sorry my timing was unexpected, maybe I should have waited outside while you finished making out with that guy." Though his pain was expertly masked, she knew him all too well, and couldn't help but notice the hurt in his words. Tai glared at her and then turned away; ready to leave her standing alone.

"Tai—" Across from him, Mimi clumsily began walking again, trying to reach for him, but she miscalculated the distance between her crutch and the edge of the pool, and as she took a desperate step towards him, her crutch made contact with the water, also forcing her to lose balance and fall awkwardly into the water. Her hands flailed in all directions as she tried to keep her body from sinking, and she found it too painful to kick and swim as she normally would, for her ankle still felt painfully sore from her previous injury. Every desperate breath she took was a mix between air and water, until she couldn't breathe anymore, and all that was left for her was to cough out the water that she was accidentally swallowing. Relief came when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves against her torso, and she was quickly pulled through to the shallow waters and out of the pool.

Once on the safety of the solid ground, Mimi doubled over and coughed out water as tears of pain streamed out of her eyes; all that mattered now was to relieve the pain in her lungs and clear out the confusion in her head. Someone patted her on the back but eventually brought her whole frame against their arms in a comforting embrace. She felt graceful and stupid and sore and painfully in love.

"Tai, please," Her mind eventually cleared and she remember what she was doing, and she realized that it was his arms that were wrapped around her. Her arms then took hold of his body, as if to not ever let him get away, and with sobs chocking her voice she told him, "I promise you, what you saw was all Akira practically _throwing_ himself onto me. I never meant to purposely hurt you. I—I—I don't know how I can prove this to you. Please, I'm giving you my heart."

Her heart jumped when she felt him hold her quivering, soaked body tighter and closer to him, and she somehow felt that he believed her confession. After a while her sobs subsided, and the scare of tripping in to the water faded away. Tai had saved her, and no matter how sore her ankle felt, that single fact was all that matter. Gingerly, they pulled away, and chocolate met amber. "You look so beautiful you know, ruffled and soaked like that," Tai told her.

"And puffy eyed and tear struck?" Mimi said with a pout.

"Yes," Tai answered devoid of hesitation. He leaned forward, taking her face in his hand, and kissed her lips gently and reassuringly, demonstrating that he was here for her.

"I love you—let me be your girlfriend," Mimi whispered without thinking once their lips had parted.

"Only if you let me beat the crap out of Akira," Tai whispered back as their foreheads touched, and they knew that in each other's arms they were at home.

The girl just nodded with a laugh, not really caring what happened to Akira.

"Then yes, you can be my girlfriend."

"I love you Tai Kamiya. Every word I say is true; this I promise you," Mimi leaned forward and kissed his cheek two, three, five times.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Tai nearly already knew the answer.

She just laughed and snuggled her wet head against his neck, "Because I got it off a cheesy 'N Sync song, but it's so true; I really do."

Tai burst into genuine laughter, and Mimi followed right after, feeling drawn in by his charismatic personality. "I love you, too, Mimi. I've always had." Their fingers intertwined and they faced each other, their faces drawing nearer and nearer as their eyes slowly closed. Their lips were onto each other within instants, almost hungrily, and it was then that they knew that they were exactly where they belonged; in each other arms.

Fin

* * *

**_Digimon, and it's characters, do not belong to me. This was made for leisure and nonprofit purposes only._**


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